"This book aims to provide a brief account of some of the ways in which social scientists can incorporate visual images (of various kinds) into their research, together with a discussion of why they might wish to. The emphasis is very much on the use of visual materials as one among several research methods that may be employed by a social researcher during the course of an investigation, rather than a focus on the visual for its own sake. I assume that readers already have or are acquiring the skills to devise a research project that is valid within the context of their discipline, but may not have thought of adding a visual dimension. Those who are already experienced visual researchers and are seeking to add a sociological dimension to their work should probably look elsewhere, as they will probably find what I have to say basic or naive with regard to the visual and opaque or elliptical with regard to the sociological. While basic, and intended as a simple and practical guide for students, academic and non-academic researchers new to the fields of visual anthropology and visual sociology, this is not a technical guide to button-pressing on video cameras and the like." (Preface)